Forging Ahead...

Well, another annual meeting has come and gone. If you attended you heard Bruce Graham, Chief Executive Officer of the Indiana Statewide Association of Electric Cooperatives, talk about the potential impacts of the pending clean air / carbon emission legislation. I hope, for those of you that attended the meeting, Bruce’s discussion and comments built on the information I have provided in my first articles you received in July and August.

As I stated at the meeting, I cannot emphasize how important it is that you get As I stated at the meeting, I cannot emphasize how important it is that you get involved and let your voice be heard by our legislators on this issue. I warned you in my first article I would sound like a broken record on this issue and I will continue to bring it up time and time again until the issue is resolved. Again, depending on the outcome, this tax could impact you and your family so greatly from a financial standpoint that I feel it is my obligation to keep you informed and continue to implore you to act. It only takes a few moments to send a message to your legislator or to fill out a “Our Energy, Our Future” campaign card. If you need a card just call one of your customer service representatives. They can provide you information on how to get involved!

Alright, I’ll give it a rest for now. Let’s talk about a few other topics relevant to all of us. Cost is only one piece of the equation when it comes to growing electric bills. Energy efficiency and conservation efforts are just as important when it comes to lowering the cost for all of us. To this end, I want to pass along some information and thoughts about each of these topics.

Your Indiana cooperatives are currently working in conjunction with our power supplier, Wabash Valley Power Association, to develop an energy efficiency program that should be ready to roll out in 2010. Although I can’t fully divulge the details as they are still being discussed and finalized, it looks like the program will include elements such as rebates for energy saving measures, education, and various other initiatives to help members use electricity more efficiently and hopefully, lower their cost. More details will follow in the coming months on this program.

Along with this program, there are many things you can do in your own home to conserve energy. Recently, a member took the time to hand write me a lengthy letter explaining all the things they do in their home to conserve. The member offered many suggestions on how they have lowered their electric bill. Some of the suggestions were using a clothes line to dry clothes when possible rather than a dryer, installing motion detecting lights in the home that go off when no one is in a room, and using alternative heating sources. The member pointed out that if we could get everyone to do some of these simple things the amount of electrical demand and consumption could be lowered by a great amount. Now, I fully understand that not everyone is willing to go to this extent to lower their usage. Everyone has their own lifestyle and some modern conveniences have instilled habits in all of us that will be hard to break. However, this is great food for thought and I appreciate the fact that this particular member is getting involved and taking steps to make a difference. There are things we all could do differently if we so choose. It’s up to each individual to decide. If you would like some energy saving tips please stop by our Linden office and ask one of your customer service representatives for the booklet, “101 Low Cost / No Cost Home Energy Savings Measures.” They’ll be happy to provide it to you! Also, don’t forget we have an energy advisor on staff. Jim Clark is always ready to answer your questions and offer suggestions to help provide direction in this area. 

Finally, let me close by quickly mentioning our most precious resource for the future, our children. It’s “back to school” time. Slow down out there and be alert, particularly around buses and school zones. Let’s make sure every child is safe as they trot off to school to find their path in this life and grow into our future community and world leaders!

Until next time,
Tim  McCarthy, CEO